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Earlier this year, Skinny Jim & the Number 9 Blacktops released their latest effort, Cool on My Right. Supersuckers frontman Eddie Spaghetti produced the album, which was recorded at Proletarian Studios in Indianapolis over an eight-day period.

“I wanted the album to have a raunchy rock feel,” said Skinny Jim frontman Jim Rotramel. “I wrote songs about monster trucks, strip clubs and the state of Kentucky. I also wanted rougher guitar tones than most of my older stuff. The album is definitely more rock ‘n’ roll than any of our previous material.”

In sticking with tradition, the album is named after one of the song’s lyrics. “Cool on my Right” is referenced in the album’s track, “Frankfort Avenue.”

“It’s about Sean Hopkins from the band Dallas Alice,” said Rotramel. “Sean has ‘Cool Hand’ tattooed on his knuckles, and the song’s lyrics go ‘Driving straight on through the night, hand on my left, cool on my right.’”

Rotramel revealed that most of the songs came together over those eight, surprisingly stress-free days at the Ken Avery-owned studio.

“Whoever wasn’t tracking at the time was upstairs writing, grilling out, or just hanging out on the couch,” said Rotramel. “The recording process is never really smooth but this one went pretty quick, with not too many stressful moments. I’m horrible about not finishing any songs before I go into the studio. Some songs we didn’t even know, and I think I only had one or two solos written when I went in. I left a lot of the songs open, in hopes that Eddie would help with what direction he thought they should go. He nailed it 110 percent!”